As cellular telephones developed over the years, their size has steadily decreased. This has been partly due to the integration of many of the telephones electronic functions into semiconductor devices such as digital signal processors specifically designed to process the electrical operations of a cellular telephone. In addition, smaller, more powerful batteries have been developed. This has allowed cellular telephone makers to adopt one piece designs. In these one piece designs, all of the functions of the handset and the housing are integrated into a one-piece handheld unit.
Cellular telephones are used extensively within vehicles such as cars and trucks. Cradles for newer one-piece telephones typically attach to the vehicle and provide a secure receptacle to hold the telephone when it is not in use. Because all of the functions are integrated into the telephone itself, there are no electronic components disposed within the cradle and there is no connection between the cradle and the telephone as with older two piece designs.
Prior art cradles typically include latching mechanisms in order to hold the telephone securely in the cradle. This assures that there is a good electrical contact between the telephone and the cradle so as to allow for charging the telephone. The latching mechanism holds the telephone tightly in place, thereby assuring that the telephone will not fall out of the cradle.
Prior art latching mechanisms typically include one or more buttons which must be pressed in order to release the telephone. In one prior art cradle design, two buttons are located on either side of the cradle. In order to remove the telephone from the cradle, the user must press both buttons and lift the telephone out of the cradle. These buttons are relatively small and are located on opposite sides of the cradle. This requires two hands, one hand to press the two buttons and the other hand to remove the telephone from the cradle. In addition, the user must look down to see the location of the two buttons in order to press them. This makes removal of the telephone difficult if not impossible while the user is operating the vehicle.
Prior art cradle designs typically place the telephone directly against a receiving surface of the cradle. Because the user cannot get his hands around the telephone, when the user attempts to remove the telephone from the cradle, the telephone is difficult to grasp. The user typically must concentrate and use two hands to pry the telephone out of the cradle.
What is needed is a cradle for a cellular telephone which is easy to use. In addition, a cradle is needed which does not require the user to operate small buttons in order to remove the telephone from the cradle. A cradle which holds the telephone securely in place is also required. In addition, a need exists for a cradle which does not require the use of both hands during the removal of the telephone from the cradle. The present invention meets the above needs.